Destroying the Bookshop, Another Source of Fortune Points

"What... what are you trying to do? He... help! Misty Cloud Sect disciples are beating someone!" The man cried out in panic.

Though this street was relatively deserted, the man's shouting still drew many people over. They looked at the book in his hand, then at the Misty Cloud Sect disciples blocking his way.

For a moment, everyone understood what was going on.

Besides, in this world where strength reigned supreme, beating someone up was nothing. Even if they killed the man, the authorities would not pursue the matter too closely considering they were Misty Cloud Sect disciples.

"That guy's probably done for. Running this kind of borderline business, he's finally run into the real deal today."

"I wonder how these two are related to the Chen Mo in the book. If they're close to him, even if he doesn't die, he'll lose a layer of skin."

Hearing the murmurs from the crowd, Chen Mo seemed to understand something. He grabbed the man by the robes and lifted him up, just as he was about to seize the book in his hand.

An illustration slipped from the book.

It was an explicit illustration. The young man and woman in it were both unfamiliar.

But after Chen Mo read the book's contents, his grim expression seemed ready to erupt like a volcano.

Bang!

Vigorous Dou Qi surged from Chen Mo's body, radiating an overwhelming aura. With one punch, the man was sent flying backward.

"Tell me, where did these books come from?" Chen Mo stepped closer, cracks appearing in the bluestone slabs beneath his feet.

"Junior Brother." Nalan Yanran had no idea why Chen Mo had suddenly become so furious. She picked up the book from the ground and glanced at it. In an instant, a flush spread across her face. Remembering the number of books, her expression gradually turned cold as well.

"Junior Brother, let me handle this."

A delicate ring on her jade-like hand flashed. The next moment, a strange pale-green longsword appeared in Nalan Yanran's hand. As the blade turned, a chilling aura seeped forth, and her cultivation of Dou Shi Seven Star was revealed without concealment.

"They're both Dou Shi experts."

"Such young Dou Shi cultivators must hold high status in the Misty Cloud Sect. In that case, they probably know that Chen Mo person."

"They've got too much nerve. I heard the female lead in the book is even the Young Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect. This concerns the sect's reputation."

The chatter in the crowd made Chen Mo's rage burn even hotter. From the looks of it, the books had spread rather widely.

As the two gradually approached, the man, who had been severely injured by Chen Mo's punch, hurriedly knelt and begged for mercy. "My lords, spare me, spare me! I'm just a worker. The bookshop owner forced me to sell them. I didn't want to either!"

"You're saying you got these books from a bookshop?"

"Yes. Books like these are printed in large quantities at the bookshop, then handed over to people like us to sell in secret." The man did not dare hide anything and confessed every detail.

"Large quantities." Nalan Yanran gritted her pearly teeth, her longsword poised to strike at any moment.

"Where is the bookshop?" The fury in Chen Mo's eyes looked ready to explode.

"I-it's outside the city."

"Lead the way."

After leaving the city, two Green Beak Eagles shot into the clouds.

Outside the city.

Within a secluded valley.

Inside a large bamboo house, more than ten people worked methodically at their tasks. The floor was covered with freshly printed books.

A burly middle-aged man wearing a single eyepatch, nicknamed One-Eyed, instructed them, "The buzz around Chen Mo has been dying down lately. Once this batch is finished, we can shut down this production line. The authorities have been searching too strictly recently. We need to..."

Boom!

Before he could finish, the bamboo door was blasted apart by a streak of sword light.

Chen Mo stormed in with the pale-faced man in his grasp, accompanied by Nalan Yanran.

"It's over. We're completely finished." The man had thought that revealing their headquarters would save his life, but he had never imagined that this man and woman were actually the male and female leads from the books.

Chen Mo tossed the man to the ground and swept his gaze over the dazzling array of books scattered across the floor. The rage in his heart could no longer be suppressed.

"Senior Sister, don't hold back." A Black Spear condensed in Chen Mo's hand as he charged forward first.

"Wang Cheng." One-Eyed looked at the man thrown onto the ground. "They are...?"

"Boss, they're Chen Mo and Nalan Yanran."

One-Eyed's expression changed upon hearing this. Just as he was about to flee, a scream rang out, and Chen Mo, blood splattered across his face, appeared before him.

"You're the owner of this bookshop?"

"I..."

"I'm asking you: aside from this place, are there any other bookshops printing books like these?"

"I-I don't..." One-Eyed had wanted to say he did not know. He truly did not know. But when he saw Chen Mo's grim expression, he immediately said, "I know. A-as long as you let..."

Before the word "let" could leave his mouth, there was a swish as the spear came down in a single strike.

The middle-aged One-Eyed fell silent forever.

"It would've been pointless to ask you anyway. Be on your way."

The strongest person in the bamboo house had been One-Eyed, the boss himself, a Dou Shi Three Star.

To the two of them, dealing with the place took no effort at all.

After seeing that Nalan Yanran had finished on her side, Chen Mo did not even glance at the man still desperately begging on the ground. With a whoosh, thunderfire rose from his palm.

Soon after, amid thick white smoke, flames engulfed the bamboo house in the valley.

Within the dense forest.

By a pool of water, the two washed the bloodstains from their bodies and changed into fresh robes.

"They deserved to die." Nalan Yanran gritted her teeth and cursed angrily.

She had heard of such books before, but they had happened to other people. Now that she herself had become the protagonist, her feelings were easy to imagine.

Chen Mo looked calm, but his heart was far from settled. After killing those people, his Fortune Points had risen from 40 to 160.

One-Eyed, a Dou Shi Three Star, had given him a full hundred Fortune Points.

What did that mean?

Another source of Fortune Points?

Black Rock City.

"Sir, where are you headed?"

"A city near the Tagor Great Desert, on the empire's eastern border."

"The Tagor Great Desert." The woman wrote a few notes on a ticket made from magical beast hide. Just as she handed it to Xiao Yan, she paused. "My lord, are you an alchemist?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?" Xiao Yan frowned.

"No, no. It's just that according to imperial regulations, alchemists may fly for free and can ride flying mounts reserved specifically for alchemists."

"There's such a benefit?"

Xiao Yan boarded a flying magical beast. Before long, accompanied by a clear, piercing cry, the flying magical beast spread its wings and soared toward the eastern part of the empire.

Elsewhere.

As the sky grew darker, Chen Mo and Nalan Yanran arrived at the city where they planned to spend the night.

Xi Town.

Inside a luxurious inn.

"What? There's only one room left?"

"Yes, all the other rooms are occupied. Only this one remains. Do you still want it?"

"Yes. One room it is. We'll take it."